Having sold out of the army, he is unsure how to spend the rest of his life. His father proposes returning to their burned plantation in America, but just as he is set to leave, he meets the woman of his dreams, Gwendolyn Lambert. Gwen's family has been reduced to penury after her father was disgraced and killed in a duel, and she and her invalid mother survive on a mere pittance in the city of Bath. Her mother's cousin, the Dowager Duchess of Loring, is determined to see Gwendolyn taken care of and restored to her rightful place, but she does not have any use for society after her family was treated ill by them. However, the dowager has a few tricks up her sleeve, including her handsome and charming grandson. Unfortunately, she did not count on him being sent to America or Gwendolyn's father's family coming back into the picture.

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